We are not on vacation, this is our lifestyle

We are not on vacation, this is our lifestyle

I say this over and over to people we meet along the way. What it means to me is that unlike others that have saved up for this trip or adventure and want to see it all, we have to budget and can’t do and see it all in each particular place we travel to. So for the money to last until I am being pushed around in a wheel chair we can not spend like there is no tomorrow. Also we need to take a day every now and then to just kick our feet up and relax. If it was easy anyone could do this.

So far we are working on destination number 176, as we run all over the world on day number 593. That still averages out to 3.37 days per destination. In other words, every 3 or so days we are packing up our bags and headed somewhere else. Originally it was for 5-7 years, but now, I can’t imagine living out my retirement days any other way and I am sure Catherine would agree.

Granted, in some cases it might be back to somewhere we have visited before, but most of the time it is some place brand new. We still come and go from Atlanta, where we stay at the same hotel. We have tried several different hotels but keep coming back to the Marriott Courtyard West at Camp Creek. It is close by the airport, our small storage unit and our UPS store, mail box. There are also plenty of restaurants nearby. Two things we like the most about the hotel is that they give a UPS rate for the room and they always make us feel like family. Just learned the other day that there is even a better rate, called the Marriott family and friends rate.

We kind of stumbled upon this rate since we were able to find the UPS rate 20 bucks cheaper about 14 miles from the airport. When we get back from Africa on the 4th of August we will be in ATL for 6 nights so we booked at the Fairfield Inn, another Marriott property. I mentioned that to someone at the Marriott Courtyard and they told the sales staff, which then, they ended up giving us that rate for our stay. Only trick now, is for them to honor that rate any time we stay there.

We had dinner last night in ATL with our new best friends, Sarah and Elayne, from our Istanbul Adventure, last November. I had planned on taking them out to dinner but they figured since we eat out all the time, they fixed us tacos. They are world-famous for their desire for Tacos and they did not disappoint. I even woke up the next morning wanting another taco.

We will meet up again with them on our trip to Africa the later part of July with yet another Marathon Tours and Travel trip. We reunite with our tour guide, Jacqui, which we just left in South America and Karen who was with us last year in Dublin. Most of us are looking forward to the 2 week adventure. Not so much for me, since I am terrified of wild animals. I figure, I don’t invite wild animals into my home, especially since I no longer have one, and so, do not want to go uninvited to their home.

We are presently en-route to PBI for 2 days in West Palm Beach. For the first time I am going to play this by ear. I only have hotel reservations for when we arrive and when we depart on the 5th of July. This is something my daughter, Mariah, suggested since all of our trips so far have been so scripted.

I know we need to pick up the motor home in Fort Pierce and then drop it off near West Palm beach and would like to make it to Key West and Miami in between but exact dates are yet to be determined. I am interested to see how this works out since I am a planner by heart and love to do all the logistics of planning and executing our trips. I just hope we don’t end up staying in the parking lot of the nearby Wall-Mart.

I have heard about writer’s block and have had short bouts with it from time to time but I now find myself having a sever case. I have not written anything to this blog since June 17th and it is now July 14th. Not sure exactly why. A couple of not so good reasons come to mind. Maybe, in my mind, I have had nothing note worthy to talk about. Or maybe I just need a break. It is not like I don’t have something to write about since our life is full of adventure but need to figure it out and push past it.

Later in the month we go to Napa Valley. There we will meet up with my sister, Gwen and her spouse, Joan. Gwen is a writer and Joan is a Physiologist so between the two of them and a nice bottle of Champagne I am sure we will figure it out. If not, at least we will have a great time.

That will be another Marathon Tours and Travel trip and the plan is enjoy plenty of wine in the Napa Valley region and also run a half marathon from Napa back to Sonoma. Catherine and I are both working some minor injuries. My right knee is giving me some trouble and Catherine stubbed her little toe on her right foot.

For me, it might be from lack of exercise, I think. Looking back over my running journal I have not done much running so far this month. Use it or lose it is how I think on normal pains and aches as we get older. Speaking of which, I turned 61, on the 6th of July and I managed to get in a 6.2 mile run, one tenth to grow on. It was very hot in ATL so had to finish up on the thread mill.

I know this is the reason I have cut back on my running since I have a tendency to really over heat during the summer months. That, however, does not explain the writer’s block, or does it. Is there a connection between endorphins and productivity? Another possibility is that I have become somewhat consumed with the current events in the world.

We find ourselves watching CNN for hours on end. Who shot who? Who hates who and what did the Donald or Hillary do or say now? Don’t worry, I am not going to get all political right here and now but for whatever reason what is all happening around us is of deep concern.

Facebook is not helping matters. As we go from one tragic episode to the next it is like a train wreck you can’t take your eyes off of. Maybe I just need to go off the grid for a while. That is usually the case when we are out of the country so maybe the simple fact that we have been in the states for the last month is the culprit.

Now, I am going to jump back in time and bring everyone up to date and what we have been doing for the last month. As I mentioned earlier we did go to PBI for a few days. PBI is the three-letter identifier for the West Palm Beach airport and PBI actually stands for Palm Beach International, so you figure that one out. Back in my flying days, one of the things we had to learn is the identifier and actual location of all the major airports and I can assure you some don’t make any sense. A number of them are simply named after some famous person.

After two days there we drove up in a rental car to pick up the motor home from storage in Fort Pierce, Florida, dropped off the rental car and made our way back to West Palm Beach, WPB, where we stayed two days at a KOA. Along the way I made a phone call to someone we met on our South America trip and low and behold it was his day off so we met him at his place of work for a tour of his facility. Tim, works at the Treasure Coast Wildlife Center and Catherine was in heaven as he showed us around and let us get up close and personal with some of the wild life he and his team cared for. They basically rescue hurt wild animals, mostly those that could not fly, and after their tender loving care then release them back in to the wild.

Had to get some supplies

Tim is a true pro and you can tell he truly loves his work. We were in Stuart, Florida and they are having problems of their own with all the algae that has taken over the local docks. After a great lunch we were on our way south to WPB.

I have had on my list of places I wanted to visit, Key West, so I figured since we were this close why not do it in the motor home. I had researched flights and hotels and this seemed like the most economical way to do it. I must admit I am not a big fan of driving the “Crib” long distances and usually only go about 100 miles in a day. So the 200 plus mile trip from WPB to Key West was a bit extreme for me. It did not help since most of the trip was at about 45 miles an hour along Highway 1.

We made it there with no problem and tried to catch up with someone I use to work with at UPS that live in Key Largo but not joy. He was actually working that day. We stayed at Boyd’s Campground since they were only 5 miles from Duval street, where all the action is, and the local KOA was 14 miles away.

We really enjoyed the 6 nights there and went for a run or bike ride every day. There are some really great restaurants there and we had plenty of suggestions from others. Since we are on a budget we did cook in the motor home 3 nights while there. That goes back to what I had said earlier. We are not on vacation, this is our lifestyle so when we can save a buck or two we do.

We had been there back in January while on a Cruise with our runningcruise.com buddies and did a 5K there. While we were there we had to visit the famous Captain Tony’s Saloon and had to go back there this time around

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then left and now above

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that we were back to MIA to catch up with the guy that replaced me at UPS, Bud. Had dinner with him and his wife, Renee. Also we were able to catch up for dinner with another UPSER, Capt. Jack, as he is affectionately called, and his wife Millie before we headed back to ATL.

We did find an outdoor storage space for the motor home in MIA that was only a few miles from the airport so we did not have to make the drive in the Crib back to WPB. We had to make an overnight stop in the Brickell area, which was where I use to stay during my last job at UPS in MIA. I was on temporary assignment for three years and had an apartment there. The Blue Martini makes the second best espresso martini in the world, with Nice being number 1.

So sad about the deaths in Nice, another place we had recently visited that has come under attack after our travels. We had actually done some great runs along that same section of the Rivera back in July of last year. Very surreal to hear about all the aftermath on TV.

I hate to do this but must now jump ahead in time to our California trip for the Napa to Sonoma half marathon. I highly recommend the race and of course the VIP package with Marathon Tours and Travel. The wine tastings were outstanding and we even did one by bike. They provided a sag van just in case someone over enjoyed the experience.

There was private bus transportation to the start, a VIP indoor section prior to the race and access to the VIP area at the finish. There were a couple of wine and beer stops along the route and both were free-flowing at the finish. As an added bonus they used the local Marriott so I got points to boot. One mile walk back to the hotel made it a grand experience.  I also had the opportunity to meet the new President of Marathon Tours, Jeff and Ann, a tour guide I have worked with many times but have not had an opportunity to actually go on a tour with.

We were only there for a long weekend and never got a chance to discuss my writers block with Gwen and Joan. I guess I did have more than my share of wine and champagne before, during and after the race. I still have not been able to put my finger on the source of the problem but right now just trying to push through it. I had just completed a major move of this blog from one site to it’s present site at Playhard-Havefun.com, so maybe all the work that went into that move just simply wore me out.

Unfortunately my knee gave me problems throughout the race and now I have come to the conclusion that my IT band is the culprit. I have a multipurpose foam roller that I carry around with us so I will use it to loosen up the muscles that run down the outside of my right leg. The other purpose is to protect a bottle of wine that we might be carrying from one destination to the other.

After Sonoma and another quick stop in ATL we were off to Africa where I am determined to overcome another fear of mine and that is of wild animals. I was actually afraid to fly but managed to have flying planes as my career for 37 years so I dug deep into what got me over that fear and will apply that to the trip to Africa. By the time I hung up my stripes, I can say I am longer have a fear of flying but still have a great respect for it. I plan on taking the same principles when it comes to the Africa trip and the many game drives we will be on.

 

Catherine is not looking forward to Antarctica next March so as a trade-off I am going to Africa. She is afraid she will get sea sick on the 10 day trip cruise there and back. She has been on many cruise ships and has done fine but as people who have done it before, have said, the ship making that journey really rocks and rolls. I am sure she will be fine but as we all know the unknown can play tricks on you. We have 5 weeks of cruises planned between now and then so hopefully she will come thru like the trooper she is. Granted one will be a river cruise in the south of France so that will not be much help.

Sporting our Marathon Tours Shirts

So far so good in Africa with two game drives under our belt and last night we stayed at the ARK which got that name honestly. It looks like one and there are plenty of animals that come up the nearby watering hole all times of the day and night. They have an elaborate notification system depending on what is going on outside the ARK.

First things first, no one is allowed to leave the ARK until the next morning. One chime in your room for elephants, two for Rhino’s, three for hyenas and 4 if there is some action going on. They had some action last week but no kills during our overnight stay.

Our first night was in Nairobi and did a day tour where we got to get up close and personal with some orphaned, baby Elephants, and a petting Giraffe park. Some fed them by putting the food pelts between their lips but I just gave them a few the old fashion way with my hand. Baby steps I always say.

Off the top of my head

After the ARK we went to the Silo ranch where we saw plenty of Rhino’s, Giraffes and various other type animals in the wild but no Lion’s. Did see some of their left overs along the way but since all the other animals seemed so relaxed we guessed they were enjoying their recent kills under the tall bush. Turns out they were out and about for the evening drive, which we weren’t on. Can’t do or see it all. I was told some were grooming each other and others were caught stalking their pry. I am sure we will get plenty of opportunity to see them in action later in the week.

Jacqui on the left with Karen on the right 

Interesting night at the Aberdare Country Club. Plenty of somewhat domesticated wild animals. All types just roaming around but at night it was a different story. Good thing I took a sleep ease tablet since all you could hear was screaming from all the nearby animals. Not sure exactly what was going on but I got a great 8 hours of sleep. They had stocked the room with plenty of wood for the fireplace.

Our Neighbor 

Today we are off to Sweetwaters Tented Camp. Really not looking forward to the whole tent idea. I use to be a Boy Scout and spent my summers, while in High School, at Boy Scout Camp but as an adult I do enjoy the finer things in life. I am Interested to see how this works out. Especially since it is going to get down to the mid 50’s at night and I do not have much Adipose tissue.

The roads leave a lot to the imagination. Large sections are dirt and or gravel and the rides can be very bumpy. They have an elaborate system of motor bikes as transportation. We saw the same thing in Asia where you could catch a ride for a few shillings and even saw 4 on a bike from time to time. Every now and then you would see the shake down point along the major highway system. I few cops along the side of the road pulling over vehicles because they were speeding, so they would say. The driver would then have to negotiate and pay in cash to continue on. Our van got stopped once and the driver was able to get the price down to 20 bucks and so we all ante up 1 dollar each to reimburse the him.

Mostly one lane roads in each direction with cars playing chicken while trying to pass.
Speed bumps everywhere for no apparent reason and at night I can’t imagine how one would see them. A few were so extreme you had to go over at 1 mile an hour to keep from sever damage to your vehicle. Occasionally there would be a sign to give you a heads up.

Tented life was not so bad, especially since they would provide a hot water bottle to snuggle up to at night and plenty of covers. Got to get one of those to add to required equipment as we continue all over the world. The game drive the next morning did not disappoint with a few lion and lioness cooling out in the shade of this huge tree. Plenty of baboons hanging out in the tree since they did not want to be a lion’s meal. We even saw both white and black rhino’s on this trip. They are both grey in color but the white are grazer’s with a wide mouth and black eat off tree branches and have a narrow mouth.

King of the jungle

 

 

 

One more cold night then we are off to a place call The Sanctuary at OL
Lentille. This is the first class accommodations near the race site. Others in our group stay one more night here and then they go to a tented camp where they will not have any electricity or running water for the next two nights. I am so glad I opted for the upgrade. I saw pictures of the site and all I can say is WOW. We travel there by jeep for 4 hours on dirt roads so might have to wear my back brace for that trip.

A small set back took place yesterday with Catherine stepping on a spiny, needle like object off the yellow fever tree. It went right through her shoe and into her foot. It was the same material that was used for Jesus’s, crown of thorns and it hurt like hell. The name really scared us but the nurse said it is not poisonous.

Three days from now we are to run the half marathon and I am sure it will not stop her. She walked a half marathon in a boot 6 weeks after breaking her foot in three place and just two weeks ago ran a half marathon after bruising her little toe when she hit the foot of the bed. She is very competitive and the thought of me completing a race without her is out of the question.

Eating three great meals, a day, during this trip, is starting to take its tole on me. I am sure I have put 10 pounds on so far and for a runner every pound above the waist is of no use. It took me 6 months to lose the 10 pounds and less than 6 days to put it back on.

The road trip to Ol-Lentille which is located in Lalkipia was a true adventure. We actually got lost but did get a preview of the race course. We are running in Africa so it was exactly what I expected. After our arrival and being shown to our quarters we got back in jeeps for a 15 minute bumpy ride to a rock formation across from where we were stay for what is known as Sundowner. Unfortunately the clouds were in the way but still enjoyed the drinks they provided and the discussion about how our new location was created.

Sanctuary at OL Lintille on top of the mountain

John, the mastermind behind the development, gave us an intriguing talk on his vision. Turns out, after his career he wanted to give back and decided that Africa would be a perfect place for that vision to become a reality. After a year of research he decided upon this side of a mountain that was abandoned by another developer and created a place that would marry conservation, tourist development, education and health care. With his plans in hand he convinced the local elders to let him finish the development that can only house 16 folks at a time. We are only the second group from Marathon Tours to stay there prior to the race but it is truly something out of a dream.

There are 4 different units that can house from 2 to 6 people at a time and each of them consist of separate but semi connected buildings. For us we got, the Eyrie unit. When you first approach there is an enclosed area set up like a dinning area with windows all around the area. Adjacent to that is the kitchen area where someone is standing by to prepare your breakfast, afternoon tea and do your laundry.

The second unit is like a living room area with the same circular design facing the east where you can relax and enjoy your favorite beverage by the fire-place. The last unit has a sitting area outside with a tub overlooking the valley below and a circular bed with 10 foot windows and two doors half way around.

Lunch and dinner were outstanding and we had them both in the library since there was rain in the area. That was very unusual for this time of year but nobody was complaining. After dinner we were escorted back to our unit and was told that someone would be in the living area all night if we needed anything and or to protect us from the wild, whatever, that was in the area.

Here is the link for this location, ol-lentille.com. It was like nothing I had ever seen or experienced before. All the other units were similar but different but I will not bore you with the details but the website gives all that are interested, the details. The project has a total staff of 200 and that includes the local staff here and the ones that handle the trust and patrol the area for poachers and ranchers that want to use the land for grazing since there are now fencing anywhere in the area.

John bought all the land and paid for the building and then donated it back to the community and has been managing it with his wife, Gill since 2006. It only took them 18 months to build and they do have to slow periods but have guests there year round. They stay at a nearby house they also built and I can only imagine what that might look like since where we are staying, is out of this world.

It was great to listen to him speak about how he was able to see their vision come to reality since I could truly relate in terms of me seeing my vision of traveling the world also come to reality. Gill gave me some great information concerning the staff at Ol Lintille and sounds like they are doing a great job of giving back to the locals in the area.  I hope the clouds break and see the spectacular sunrise over the mountains from our bedroom or not. I have seen so many in so many different places during my life time so one less won’t break my heart.

 

The other 36 in our group leave tomorrow for primitive tenting where the site is just now being constructed and the long pits are being dug. I had never heard that term before but basically, all that means is, that they will be digging holes in the ground for temporary latrines. I am so glad I paid whatever was necessary for the upgrade. This is not going to be the most expensive trip we have been on so far but pretty durn close. The jury is still out if it is worth it but in the big scheme of things it is, Africa after all.

Included in the price are nature walks and ATV drives. Catherine was a bit nervous about the ATV drive at first but was able to go back to her motorcycle days when she drove by herself to the west coast and back. Her true worry was that she was going to further injure herself prior to race.

The next day was a free day with dinner over at the semi primitive camp where we got our race briefing and numbers. We did have the opportunity to visit the nearby village at a price. The elders there asked for 50 bucks per person and it was worth every cent. The put on quite a show for us and even let us go inside their dung and mud huts. Before we left they laid out their wares for us to buy. It was very strange to see some of them checking their cell phones.

 

High fives anyone

Race day was like no other and I am afraid I will not be able to do it justice but will give it a try. Since the creation of this race they have been able to raise over 150K for the girls in the area. So far they have been able to get 10 percent of the girls to finish high school.  That increases the GDP by 3% and that considerably increases their chance of breaking the cycle of just staying at home and having on the average 7 children. The mother we meet back in the village had 12 children.

Those that went on to the Tented Camp were also given a tour of Daraja Academy, where the girls go to school, where their motto is “Mimi ni Daraja”, I am the bridge. 100% of the 2014 Graduates received national exam scores qualifying them to attend college.

All of them ran the 10K race and many of the young men in the area either ran the half or full marathon. 4 Kenyans did lap us as we were passing 15K for us. The terrain was tough and Catherine managed to stay on her feet even though there were a few close calls. The race started at an altitude of 6,000 feet and Sarah was not so lucky and went down around mile 4. Some pretty nasty cuts on her knee but she was not alone. At least half a dozen came in with cuts and bruises. Elayne signed up and finished the full marathon. The views along the way were spectacular but not enough for me to do the course twice.

Every now and then kids would run along side of us and all the different villages would have folks out to cheer us along. All that I can say is that we take hot showers for granted as we watch them herd their live stock for one grazing area to the next. Catherine was clearly in heaven as she ran with many of them hand in hand. We were told that the only thing we had to worry about were the Elephants but none were seen during our race.

Since we only did the half we were able to go back to our accommodations to shower and have lunch. We returned in time to see Elayne and a few others to cross the finish of the marathon. There was a lady, Valerie, that we were on the tour with back in Australia, was the last to cross the finish with her son with a time of 7:30. It was great to be there to cheer them across the finish. I believe she only has two more continents to complete all seven.

Luckily the clouds cooperated and stayed in the area and once again we had a bit of ran so the temperature did not get out of hand. A few people got lost along the way. Not sure exactly how since I thought the route was well-marked with orange rocks. I guess if you zone out while running, anything is possible. The same is true for those that fell. Catherine’s close call with terra-firm-a was while she was giving high fives to some of the kids.

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow we are off, by private charter from the nearby dirt strip located at the race start/finish line to a place call Governors Camp located in Masai Mara. Not sure what to expect there since I have not done any research. I know we are going to a couple more Game drives during the 3 nights there. I understand the migration of the Wildebeest is taking place and I am sure we will get up close and personal with all involved.

I can easily say that I have totally gotten over my fear of wild animals. I have learned that they try to coexist with everything and everybody in their echo system. Yes they can be dangerous to humans but mostly because we as humans are just down right stupid, AKA, “Stupid Human Tricks.” As they look as us drive by, they understand that vehicle is not on their diet and it is only when you get out they say to themselves, now that is a meal.

During the race we saw just about everything out there along the way and none of them had humans on their diet so why worry. It was great to run by them and they just look up from their grazing routine, if even that, and just continue what they were doing. Most of the time their was someone heading up the herd of whatever and they would wave and say “Jumbo”, hello.

The hour flight to the dirt landing strip near Governors Camp was uneventful. We were transported in a 12 passenger Cessna Caravan and that really took me back to my early flying days. I sat right behind the Co-Pilot and had my poker face on so no one would worry. I usually don’t like to see how the sausage is being made but I just could not resist in this case.

 

After a 5 minute jeep ride we were at the final leg of our trip. This was by far the most enjoyable part of the trip. Governors Camp is famous for its location close by the migration of the Wildebeest as they travel from Tanzania to Masai. The 1.5 million of them that make the 3 month trek are not the smartest animals on the planet and the males lead the way. Some Zebras follow along and the scent in the hoofs of the males guide the rest sometimes back and forth across my streams and rivers.

This is where you really see the food chain in action. As they cross the water ways many alligators, and lioness lay in wait for their daily meals. We were able to see many crossings of several thousands in large herds and some would even just go back and forth in confusion. Catherine and I were glad that we did not actually see a kill but there were many in our group that did.

Sun rise sun set

 

 

The place is has no fencing around it so they have guards 24/7 protecting the guest and no one can go anywhere at night without an escort. All that live in the wild come to pay a visit at night and they sure do make a racket. I learned that it was best to take a sleep aid so that when awoken by all the screaming, yelling and roaring, I could easily roll over and fall back to sleep. This was also a tented camp and if they really wanted to come in to visit or lunch on us I am sure they could.

We did have an incredible experience of seeing a crossing of Mara river during the last breakfast while here. The first and near the last were alligator bait but I was enjoying my omelet during that time. One picture someone in our group was able to take was a dead Wildebeest hanging from a tree. I understand a leopard, who can carry 1.5 times its weight did the heavy lifting and will come back and snack on its prize throughout the day and night

You just have to wonder how

Our favorite waiters at Governors Camp

It is going to be a very long day on the way home. I figure somewhere around 36 hours from check out to check in at the hotel back in ATL, if all goes well. We had to check out at 10:30 am but our small plane flight back to Nairobi is not until 4pm and flight out of Nairobi departs at midnight. There was, what I thought, a strict 33 pound weight limit, per person for the flight in and out of Masai Marra so we left a bag at the Nairobi hotel so in between flights we have arranged transportation to and from the airport. We normally carry 140 pounds excluding our back packs. So getting down to 66 pounds was quite a feat. Not many on this trip complied with the restriction but “no worries” as they say in Australia.

The trip back and forth to the hotel was very interesting. There are about 8 roundabouts en route and they don’t work very well when there is a lot of traffic. In bound traffic is supposed to yield but when there is constant traffic from all direction then all traffic comes to a stand still or worst yet a lot of accidents. So to help out the situation they put multiple police officers at each round about and they stop traffic in each direction for about 5 minutes. This made the 30 minute trip in each direction twice as long but since we had such a long layover for our flight it was no big deal. Not to take any chances I did repack our bags on the way back to the airport, in the van and got there 3 and 1/2 hours prior to our flight.

Something I have not seen before occurred as we were about 1 mile from the airport.  The driver said that we had to get out and he would meet us on the other side of an elaborate security system.  We had to go thru medal detectors and the van pulled forward and was searched.  After the gate and the tire puncher spikes were raised and lowered we got back in the van and proceeded to the airport.  Right at the door of the terminal we had to go thru security once again.  We had seen that before in Istanbul.  That type of security did not work well for them last month but they did not have the extra security 1 mile out.

Even though it was not listed there was a lounge that honored our Delta status so we were able to get something to eat and drink while waiting. The flights themselves were uneventful and the flight from Amsterdam to Atlanta was excellent. I was able to use a world-wide upgrade that comes with Diamond status and the Airbus 300 business class service was excellent.

We are now back in the ATL and remain here for 6 nights prior to our trip to Chicago for the annual OBAP, Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, convention. A trip to visit my brother in Maine and a trip to Louisville and Bloomington IN. We hope to go thru our storage unit in Louisville to give some items away to charity, see my Cardiologist for my annual Echocardiogram and see Catherine’s daughter and grands in Bloomington.

After that we are headed to Kauai for two weeks. They call that the garden island and looking forward to the half marathon there on the 4th of Sept. We were to meet up with some folks we met on a cruise earlier in the year but they are going to be no-shows due to injuries.

On Facebook, many of the people we met in Africa were talking about the adjustments they had to make being back home and I made the comment that we don’t have a home and I was reminded that the entire world was our home. That was a great way to look at it and ties in with the original thought of this post. We are not on vacation, this is our lifestyle.